Titans Open With Three of First Four Games at Home

The Titans can get off on the right foot with three of their first four games at home.

MARTIN, Tenn. – The Tennessee Titans will have a better chance of getting off to a strong start in 2010, playing three of their first four games at home, a stark contrast from last season when they opened with four of their first six on the road.

“We have a good season planned ahead of us, so to start off with two good football teams at home will definitely get the fans involved,” said cornerback Cortland Finnegan, analyzing the schedule while traveling on Titans Caravan XIII Tuesday night. “To get the snowball effect going would be big for us as a football team.”

The NFL released the 2010 schedule Tuesday night. The Titans already knew they had a schedule tied for the league's toughest based on how teams finished last season but finally learned when those games will be played.

They open against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, Sept. 12 before hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers the following week in a game that will be played without QB Ben Roethlisberger, who was recently suspended six games by the NFL. They visit Jacksonville on Monday Night Football (Oct. 18), and host AFC South rival Indianapolis in a Thursday night game on NFL Network Dec. 9.

“It's always an honor to be able to open the season at home,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “To have two consecutive home games to start the season I think is going to be very beneficial to this team.”

A new emphasis on division play has the Titans finishing the season with five of their final six games in the AFC South.

“You have to win in the division to be successful, so it will be a great opportunity for us,” Fisher said.

Tennessee’s bye week comes right in the middle of the season on Nov. 7, sandwiched between road games at San Diego and Miami.

“We have a tough run right there,” Finnegan said. “That will be big for us to re-evaluate how we're playing and definitely push on to the end of it.”

The stretch run will be critical as the Titans look to make the playoffs for the third time in four years.

“It's going to be a power-packed schedule with a lot of challenges throughout, but I think being in the division in the last six weeks and finishing up with Indianapolis is going to be a tremendous challenge for us,” Fisher said.

Safety Michael Griffin believes the hard work the team is putting in this off-season will pay off on opening day.

“A lot of us are working hard this off-season trying to improve, especially in the secondary,” Griffin said. “We don’t want to start out 0-6 like we did last year. We want to finish where we left off, winning eight of our last 10 games. It’s a new season and anything is possible, so I’m pretty sure this first game we’re going to try and put on a show.”